How to follow women's football with BBC Sport this season
September 2, 2026 08:01
The BBC has announced an expanded schedule and new digital offerings for the 2026-27 Women's Super League season, which begins with Chelsea v Aston Villa on Saturday 5 September at 12:35 BST. The broadcaster will show 25 WSL matches free-to-air on BBC TV and iPlayer and is adding post-match programming, a dedicated YouTube channel, enhanced podcast scheduling and more club-specific content across its platforms.
Coverage additions include a new 15-minute reaction slot after every live BBC match called The Women's Football Fallout, a BBC Women's Football YouTube channel with extended highlights and original series, and the Women’s Football Weekly podcast moving to Mondays. BBC Sport’s senior women’s football reporter Emma Sanders will provide written coverage on the website and app, plus new club pages and social content across TikTok and Instagram.
KEY CONTEXT
- The WSL has been expanded for 2026-27 with three new teams joining the division.
- Manchester City were the WSL champions in 2025-26, finishing four points ahead of Arsenal (image caption).
- The season comes with attention already focused on the upcoming Women’s World Cup in Brazil next summer, increasing the profile of domestic coverage.
WHY IT MATTERS
The BBC’s plan increases free-to-air access to top-flight women’s domestic football in the UK and broadens the range of formats available to fans—live matches, immediate post-match analysis, longer highlights, feature series and podcast discussion. Having more platforms and club-specific pages centralises coverage, which could make it easier for supporters to follow fixtures, transfers and features as the domestic season builds toward international tournaments.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
- The opening live match on 5 September (Chelsea v Aston Villa) marks the start of the BBC’s live TV/iPlayer schedule for the season.
- Rollout of the Women’s Football Fallout segments after each BBC live match and the launch schedule for the BBC Women’s Football YouTube channel and The Debrief series.
- Availability of the new club pages on the BBC website and app and the launch of the Women’s Super League fan chat page.
KEY FACTS
- BBC will broadcast 25 WSL matches live on BBC TV and iPlayer in 2026-27.
- Season opener: Chelsea v Aston Villa, Saturday 5 September, 12:35 BST.
- A 15-minute The Women’s Football Fallout segment will follow every live BBC game.
- BBC Women’s Football YouTube channel will carry extended highlights of every WSL match and new original shows including The Debrief.
- Women’s Football Weekly podcast moves to Mondays, hosted by Ben Haines with Ellen White among regular contributors.
- Emma Sanders is the BBC’s senior women’s football news reporter and will lead written coverage; club pages will be available on the website and app.